Chapter 21 Con #2
“Now, step away from the console.”
As I moved back, McLaren approached, her attention divided between me and the neural interface, which continued its ominous power build.
“You’re working with Orlov,” I said, the betrayal bitter in my mouth.
“I’ve been working with Viktor for twenty years,” McLaren corrected, reaching the control station. “Since long before either MI6 or Unit 23 understood what we were developing.”
“You led us here,” Lex said, her voice taut as she remained in Bennett’s grip. “The entire operation was a setup.”
Bennett’s laugh held no warmth. “Not initially. We needed to monitor your progress, keep you chasing shadows while we completed the final phase.”
“But your expertise became essential when we encountered integration issues,” McLaren added, fingers moving across the control surface. “The defensive algorithms wouldn’t stabilize.”
“Defensive?” I challenged. “You’re building a weapon of mass disruption.”
“It was never meant to be a weapon!” McLaren’s voice rose with unexpected passion. “The neural interface was designed as a shield—a way to protect essential infrastructure during conflicts while allowing targeted, minimal force against military objectives.”
“Targeted weapons still kill people,” Lex countered.
“Fewer than conventional warfare,” Bennett retorted. “That was the original intent—precision that would minimize civilian casualties.”
McLaren’s expression darkened. “Until Viktor saw the true potential. Not just acting as a shield, but actively targeting whatever anyone wanted. Beyond military communications, power grids, hospital systems, and air traffic control—anything with an electronic signature.”
“Mass devastation,” I concluded.
Bennett’s grip on Lex tightened. “We discovered his plans eight months ago. Evidence of contracted attacks against sixteen nations simultaneously—enough to trigger global chaos and allow certain interests to consolidate power.”
“So you’ve been trying to stop him?” Lex asked, disbelief evident in her tone.
“We needed access to the core programming,” McLaren explained, her fingers still working at the console. “But Viktor compartmentalized everything after he realized we had doubts.”
“The threats against you at Blackmoor,” Bennett continued. “We orchestrated them, trying to separate you from Carnegie. We needed your expertise without drawing attention to our involvement.”
“You’re saying you’re the good guys?” I scoffed, inching imperceptibly closer.
“We didn’t have a choice!” McLaren snapped. “Viktor is activating the system today. If we don’t complete the countermeasure algorithm, millions will die when he demonstrates its ‘limited capabilities’ to his financial backers.”
“And you need Lex because?” I pressed, gauging the distance between us.
“It takes two people to complete the countermeasures and sabotage the entire system,” McLaren explained, desperation edging into her voice. “One to stabilize the neural mapping while another corrupts the targeting parameters. I can’t do it alone.”
“You expect us to trust you?” Lex demanded, still struggling against Bennett’s grip.
“You don’t have to trust us,” Bennett replied. “But if you want to stop Orlov, you need us.”
A new alarm sounded—more urgent, more final than those still blaring throughout the facility.
“He’s here,” McLaren whispered, her face paling. “Viktor is initiating the final preparations.”
Bennett’s attention wavered for a fraction of a second—enough for Lex to drive her elbow into his solar plexus. As he doubled over, gasping, she twisted free, ducking low as his weapon discharged wildly.
I lunged forward and retrieved my sidearm. Before I could aim, the laboratory doors burst open and Orlov entered, flanked by at least a dozen armed operatives in tactical gear.
“Evelyn,” the Russian scientist called, his gaunt face registering surprise rather than alarm. “What is happening here?”
“System diagnostics,” McLaren answered smoothly, her fingers never pausing on the console. “Final calibrations before your demonstration.”
Orlov’s eyes narrowed as he surveyed the room, taking in Bennett’s disheveled appearance, Lex’s defensive stance, and my retrieved weapon.
“I see,” he said quietly. “You’ve brought friends.”
In an instant, the laboratory erupted into chaos. Orlov’s men opened fire, forcing us to dive for cover behind equipment banks. Bullets ricocheted off metal surfaces, shattering monitors.
“Lex!” I shouted, unable to see her through the melee.
“The console!” McLaren’s voice cut through the gunfire. “Margot, we need to complete the countermeasure now!”
I provided covering fire, dropping two of Orlov’s men as they tried to flank our position. Through gaps in the equipment, I glimpsed Lex making her way toward McLaren.
“Bennett!” I called. “Cover their position!”
For a moment, I thought he would refuse—that his earlier performance had revealed his true allegiance. Then he pivoted, laying down suppressive fire that allowed Lex to reach McLaren’s side.
“What do I need to do?” Lex demanded, taking position at the adjacent terminal.
“Initialize the secondary protocol while I stabilize the primary matrix,” McLaren instructed, her professional composure returning despite the bullets flying around them.
Orlov shouted orders in Russian, directing his remaining forces to converge on them. I shifted position, drawing their fire toward me instead of the women working frantically to stop his weapon.
Bennett’s earlier tension appeared to vanish as he called out to me. “When they finish, get them out through the maintenance tunnels. Section J-7 connects to the exterior.”
Before I could respond, Bennett broke from cover, advancing toward Orlov’s position. His sudden movement drew concentrated fire, but he continued forward, absorbing multiple hits without faltering.
“Malcolm, no!” McLaren cried, looking up from her work.
Bennett ignored her, his focus locked on Orlov, who had retreated behind his security detail. With a final burst of strength, Bennett broke through their line, shooting the Russian scientist before tackling him to the ground.
Two shots echoed above the general cacophony. Bennett’s body went rigid, then slumped forward atop Orlov. Blood pooled beneath them as the remaining guards hesitated, momentarily shocked by their employer’s demise.
I used the distraction to reach Lex and McLaren. “How much longer?”
“Almost there,” Lex replied. “The countermeasure is uploading.”
Orlov’s men regrouped and, rather than help their fallen leader, advanced on our position. I fired until my magazine emptied, then drew my backup weapon.
“Done!” McLaren announced, initiating the final sequence. “The neural interface is rejecting Orlov’s targeting parameters.”
On the main display, warning indicators flashed as the system began destabilizing. The blue-white energy at the core of the device pulsed erratically, power fluctuations cascading through the connected systems.
“It’s overloading,” Lex warned, reading the diagnostic output. “The countermeasure is triggering a chain reaction in the power core. This place is going to blow!”
I pulled Lex away from the console. “We need to move. Now!”
McLaren hesitated, looking toward Bennett’s motionless form. “We can’t leave him—”
“He’s gone,” I said firmly, grabbing her arm.
As warning lights flashed across every monitor, Lex gripped Evelyn’s arm. “Are you Janus?” she shouted.
As McLaren jerked from Lex’s grasp, her face revealed nothing—not surprise, not confusion, not recognition—just a blank stare amidst the chaos surrounding us.
The first explosion came from the power coupling nearest the neural interface. Equipment racks toppled as ceiling panels crashed down. Orlov’s remaining men fled, abandoning their fallen leader amid the destruction.
“Let her go!” I shouted at Lex when McLaren took off in the opposite direction.
We kept going until we reached a junction where the tunnel split in three directions. Behind us, the laboratory was now fully engulfed in flames as secondary explosions drove us forward.
We went right, traveling twenty meters, when the largest explosion yet rocked the building.
The tunnel’s ceiling collapsed behind us, cutting off our retreat.
Worse, the shock wave hurled debris forward, striking Lex and sending her sprawling.
Blood streamed from a gash on her forehead, and her breathing came in labored gasps.
“Leave me,” she insisted, pushing weakly at my hands. “I’ll only slow you down.”
“The hell I will.” I lifted her into my arms and ran through the increasingly unstable passage, dust and small debris raining down with each new explosion that shook the compound above. The tunnel began to slope upward, suggesting we were nearing an exit.
“There!” Lex pointed to a maintenance hatch ahead, pale light visible through its grille.
“Can you stand?” I asked, knowing I’d need both hands to get us out.
“Put me down!” she shouted, working the mechanism before I had the chance to. The hatch released with a metallic groan, revealing the predawn sky above.
We’d barely cleared the immediate blast radius when another explosion, larger than any before, tore through the complex. The concussive force threw us forward, debris raining down around us.
I turned to shield Lex with my body, protecting her from the worst of it. Pain lanced through my side as something struck me—once, twice—driving the breath from my lungs.
When the immediate danger passed, I tried to straighten, but found I couldn’t. My vision swam, darkness encroaching at the edges.
“Con?” Lex’s voice sounded distant. “Con!”
I felt her hands on me, rolling me onto my back. The sky above spun lazily, stars visible despite the flames illuminating the destruction behind us.
“You’re hit,” she said, her voice breaking as she pressed against my side. Her hands came away red. “Stay with me, Con. Help will come,” she said, tearing fabric from her shirt to shove against my wound.
The pain receded, replaced by a spreading coldness that should have concerned me more than it did. My thoughts became sluggish, disconnected.
“Lex,” I whispered, reaching for her. My fingers left a smear of blood on her cheek as I traced its curve. “I need to tell you—”
“Don’t you dare,” she interrupted, tears cutting tracks through the dust on her face. “Save it for when you’re recovered.”
I smiled, or tried to. “Just in case…I love you, Margot Sterling.”
Her face blurred before me, my consciousness fading despite her desperate pleas to stay awake. The last thing I saw was her eyes, fierce and determined, refusing to let me go as darkness claimed me.